The Angry Asset: The Value of Doug Baldwin Jr.
Doug Baldwin, the Seattle Seahawks’ angry assassin and unlikely leader, has quietly risen through the ranks of the NFL’s elite receivers. The top-ranked slot receiver was awarded a $46 million dollar contract in the 2016 offseason, has posted numbers nothing short of extraordinary, and has delighted fantasy owners who cunningly snagged him off of their league’s waiver wires.
Aside from his web-gems, Baldwin’s value to the Seattle Seahawks and the National Football League is far greater than his stat-line indicates. It is his rare and refreshing combination of social awareness, raw talent, tenacity, and leadership that make him arguably the team’s greatest asset. Doug Baldwin has embraced the role many athletes have warded off for decades; a role model. A voice for an audience greater than himself. Greater than Seattle. Greater than football.
The son of a police officer is taking a stand against the injustices plaguing American communities with the Seahawks' "Building Bridges" initiative, and will lead a meeting with members of Seattle law enforcement and local politicians in an effort to foster dialogue regarding police training policies. Baldwin has also made a call to action to state attorney generals to take an honest review of their current training policies to ensure safer crisis-management tactics.
Doug Baldwin, is no longer the productive little secret, the silent and angry assassin, or your favorite, chippy sound-bite. Doug Baldwin is one of Seattle’s and the League’s most lethal weapons.
Amidst the changes Seattle’s offense had sustained during offseason, what has remained is the battle-tested duo of Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin. In the last eight games of the 2015 season, the three simple words “Wilson to Baldwin” brought more elation to Seattle sports fans than any other sentence uttered by a sports commentator since the late Dave Niehaus’ beloved “my oh my.” And it was once again, Wilson to Baldwin that brought Seattle their first touchdown of the 2016 season, sending sonic vibrations through the streets of Pioneer Square, and causing 12’s to spill their overpriced tallboys over the seating section.
For the first four games of the Seahawks’ season, Baldwin has posted a promising stat line with 24 receptions, 330 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an average of 13.8 yards per catch. But it was Baldwin, a former undrafted and angry free agent, accused pedestrian receiver, and outspoken Stanford scholar, whose performance in the last eight games of the 2015 season was nothing short of magic.
Prior to the 2015 season, Baldwin’s production was often stunted by Seattle’s run-first offense driven by running back Marshawn Lynch. However, as a student of the game with football intellect that rivals any athlete in the NFL, Baldwin’s patience and tenacity created the perfect storm for an extraordinary late-season performance.
In 2015, Baldwin posted career-high numbers with 78 receptions for 1,069 yards, and 14 touchdowns. In the span of the final eight games of the season, Baldwin had 3 more touchdowns than any other receiver, was 6th overall in receiving yards, 4th in catch rate, 2nd in yards per target, and secured his role as the best slot receiver in the league. The pedestrian years, have been swept away like the confetti that lined the streets of SODO after the 2014 Super Bowl Celebration. National sports media has finally taken notice of the 5’10” hidden treasure who Seattleites have diligently supported by donning #89 on their backs every Blue Friday.
Doug Baldwin was never pedestrian, never ordinary. The Stanford scholar and un-drafted free agent was always special, always different. After five seasons in the league, his speed, toughness, and steady hands have caught the attention of even the most casual football fan. His inquisitive nature and courage to challenge the role of sports on the national scale, initiate meaningful conversation with local law enforcement, commitment to bring unity to the Seattle Seahawks, and contribution to national dialogue define his value as much more than his $46 million dollar price tag.
So, what is the value of Doug Baldwin Jr? The once angry assassin, standout slot receiver, and brilliant leader is perhaps the greatest asset to the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 season. He may not be angry, but he sure is hungry. For on-the-field dominance, and off-the-field change.
